IT will be a season defining two days for the Swan Hill Soccer League’s men’s and women’s Bendigo Amateur Soccer League teams, with both sides set to put their finals credentials on the line over the weekend.
Both teams will play Strathfieldsaye Colts United, with the women’s side taking to the pitch on Saturday on the road, while the men’s side will have hosting duties on Sunday at the Ken Harrison Reserve.
For Swan Hill’s men’s side, it will mean a rematch with the ladder leaders, with the two clubs having met twice already this season for one win apiece.
The Swans proved victorious in their first meeting, claiming a 3-1 win in their League Cup quarter final against the Colts, which in term knocked them out of the competition.
The two teams didn’t have to wait long for their next meeting however, with Strathfieldsaye enacting revenge six days later with a 5-3 win over Swan Hill in the opening round of the League 2 competition.
While the two men’s teams have plenty of recent history against each other, Saturday will be the first time Swan Hill and Strathfieldsaye have met in the women’s competition, with the two teams locked in a tense battle for a spot in the top six.
Just one point separates the Swans (fifth) and Colts (sixth) on the ladder ahead of Saturday’s meeting, with Swan Hill women’s assistant coach Emma Pitts expecting another tough opponent to await them.
“They (Strathfieldsaye Colts United) are a bit of an unknown for us I suppose, they are a hard team to get a bit of a read on with their results but all we can do is put our best foot forward and focus on us,” Pitts told The Guardian this week.
“It’s a pretty important game for both teams in the context of the season, in that a win would just help the other gain a bit of separation in the top six.
“It’s always difficult playing away from home, but we think we’re good enough to go down there and get a result.”
Swan Hill’s last match ended in a thrilling 3-1 win over Latrobe University a fortnight ago, with Trinity Shelton and Charley Baskin scoring in the last seven minutes to ensure victory for the Swans.
Both players have provided Swan Hill with options in attack this season, with Shelton scoring seven goals so far in 2025.
The other big strength for Swan Hill has been their back four, with centre backs Amity Scott and Abbey Houlihan consistently among their teams better players.
With close to a full squad to choose from, Pitts indicated her team may look to make some changes for Saturday’s all-important clash.
“I know we’re almost half way through the season, but with such a big squad we’re still working out where everyone best fits and what our best structure looks like,” Pitts said.
“I’d expect that will settle down a bit over the next few games, but it looks like we might have pretty close to a full squad to choose from this weekend.
“We haven’t had our best team available at any stage of the season yet, we’ve had some girls either injured, sick or unavailable over the past few weeks especially, so to have a full squad to choose from will be a nice luxury.”
Also in action this weekend will be Swan Hill’s under 16 boys team, who will host Castlemaine Goldfields Green on Saturday morning and Swan Hill’s under 14 boys team, who will play Golden City in Bendigo.
